Rotary hydrocarbon explosive-engine.



C. W. HORN.

ROTARY HYDROCARBON EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED nov. 1:. WI!- 1,138,566. Patented May 4, 1915.

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. t, VIII/d CHARLES W. HORN, OI CEIOAGO, ILLINOIS.

ROTARY HYDBOCARBON ExPLOSIVE-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Intent.

Patented May 4, 1915.

Application filed November 13, 1911. Ber1alNo. 659,921.

. and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Im)rovcments in Rotary llydrocarimn Explosive-Engines; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same.

The object of this invention is to provide certain improvements inrotary hydrocarbon explosive engines, as will be hereinafter moredefinitely pointed out and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- 7 Figure 1 is a top lan view of adevice cmbodyiiu my invention, and illustrating a slightly L iiierentvalve and transfer eonstruetion. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-8 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section online 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlar ed, fragmentary section taken online 5-5 0 Fig. 3, and illustrates the construction and arrangement ofthe transfer valves. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on line 6-6 of Fig.5. F1 7 is a fragmentary section on line 7-7 0 Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is afragmentary section on line 8-8 of Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is a top plan view,partly broken away,of the plunger abutment, showing the same removed romthe machine. Fig. 10 is an inner face view thereof.- Fig. 11 is a viewin end elevation illustrating a sli htly modified valve action. Fig. 1213 a Site elevation thereof. Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional viewillustrating the valve action illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12. Fig. 14 isa section taken on line 14-14 of Fi 13. Fig. 15 is a section taken online 15- 5 of Fig. 14. Fig. 16 is a section on line 16-16 of Fig. 13.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 10 inclusive the owercylinders 40, are arran ed side by si e upon a suitable base 41, am themain shaft 4, passes therethrou h and is provided therein with power 0ements or heads 42, having oppositely directed power pistons 43, asshown in Fig. 14. In this construction the respective pistons on thepower heads for half their travel act as compressing pistons. For thispurpose, as shown, an inlet pipe 44, is connected near the bottom of thepower cylinder on the inlet side thereof. Slidable through suitableslide apertures in the wall of the cylinder, are plungers and 46, one inadvance of ignition position and the other beyond exhaust position. Arelatively small compression chamber 46', is provided in said powercylinder adiacent the lunger 45, and opening there rom througi a puppetvalve 45, -1s apassage 47, which leads upwardly around the plunger 45,to an ignition chamber 48 just above said plunger.

spring pressed slide valve 49 holds said passa e normally closed to theignition cham or, as shown in Fig. 5, the stem 50, of said valve forthat pur ose extending u wardly, through the wal of the valve 0amber,'as shown in Fig. 5 and having a head 51, thereon, and engaged onsaid stem beneath the head, and bearmg on the top of the valve chamberis a ushing spring 52, which acts to hold said valve closure normallyelevated and the passage closed. A spark plug or other ignition means53, is secured in said ignition chamber. Means are provided forreciprocating said plungers 45 and 46, to permit the passage of thepower pistons beneath the same, and to immediately return the same toclosed osition after the passage of the pistons t rerebeneath. For thispurpose, as shown, powerful pullin springs 54 are secured on theopposite en s of 'a rod 55, which extend throu h the outwardly directedarms 56, of sec of said plungers and the inner ends of said springs arerigidly secured on any suitable support, for example, the heads of thepower cylinders, so that said plungers are normally held by said springsinwardly or in full bearing a ainst the power head, as shown in Fig. 4.ourrialed on said rod or shaft 55, is a roller 57, and journaled upon ashaft 58, secured on said frame below the plun or adjacent inletposition and above the p anger at the exhaust position, is a tappet arm59, which projects into the space respectively between the roller 57,and the plun er. igidly secured on said shaft is a cran c arm 60, havinga roller 61, at its outer end, which tracks upon a cam wheel 62, havingthrows 63, thereon on diametrically opposite sides thereof andpositioned to simultaneously shift said levers 60, outwardly, therebymoving .the plungers outwardly against the tension of their springs.Said throws 63, on said cam wheels are arranged very slightly in advanceof thecpistons 43, on the power heads 42, so that sai plungers areshifted outwardly 3ust as said istons reach the same to permit thepistons 0 pass thereunder, and the throws 63, on said cam hav-- ingpassed the lovers 60,simultaneously with the outward movement of saidplungers' aiid the passage of the )istons therebeneath, the springs 54,immediately act to pull plungers inwardly,

iind the pistons. It is just at his moment that the c iarge is admittedbetween the p'islength of said levers are-so proportioned as preferred)to permit "said inlet vval'ves to be opened only when 'theplunger has returned to )osition behindthe power abutment, and t 1e engine is timedfor ignition to take place after said valve 49, has again closed underthe impulse of its spring 52. An exhaust chamber 69,'is provided justabove the exhaust abutment 46. This may be opened to the atmospherethrough a suitable exhaust pipe 70, or may be controlled, if desired, bya puppet valve 71, either mechanically or automatically actuated.

Where a double engine is constructed, as described, the (power pistons(and, of course, the correspon ing cams and throws thereon for each ofthe,,cylinders)' are preferably arranged symmetrically, so that thepistons of one cylinder being arranged ninety degrces from those onanother,'four explosions occur in each rotation at the main shaft. Inthis construction, the charge is drawn into the cylinder throu h theinlet'pipe 44, and that. drawn in by t a reduction of pressure caused byone piston is compressed by the next succeeding piston against theplunger 45. As compression augments the puppet valve 45", permits a partof t 1e charge to pass into the passage47, so that the charge under highcompression, is contained in said passage 47, when the plungers areretracted. As the piston passes beyond the plunger 45, the sameimmediately, on an impulse of its spring, falls inwardly into the head,and simultaneously the valve 49, is actu ated'to permit the charge underfull compression, to pass into the spaces between said piston am theplunger. At this r'no'ment, ignition occurs behind the iston, suchignition o'ccurring either just More the ole ingof' the valve 49, orjust after, depending u' on whether it is desiredto' getthe somew atmore continuous'eiicet' of the combustion of the gas of the mixture inthe passage 47,

said closing the c lmders bo on a shaft 65, journaled on the or toobtain the impulse afforded only by; the ignition of. the. compressedcharge in the' explosion or ignition chamber in the power cylinder. Theimpulse afforded by the explosion is largely expended at the time saidpiston reaches t e plunger 46, which is immediately retracted frombefore the same simultaneously with the retraction of the plunger 45, toretain a new charge, and the next succeeding piston is positioned inignition position and the charge having been ignited, the productsofcombustion for the revious charge are expelled by said piston eingforced into the exhaust chamber 69, and thence escaping to theatmosphere through. the exhaust ipe.

The constructionil ustrated in Figs. 11 to 16 inclusive, is the same asthat before described, except that the charge is compressed into acylinder 72, which communicates in a the passage 47, before described,and in wide is a valve 49, as before described. A piston 74, is providedin said cylinder and the connecting rod' 75, thereof, is engaged upon awrist pin 76, set in a relatively small gear 77, driven from a gear 78,of twice the periphery (affording a two to one drive) and secured on themain shaft 4. Said gears are" so set and timed" as to throw the pistonoutwardly to fullcompression the moment the plungers close-behind therespective pistons, thus greatly augmenting the compression of thechargein the ignition chamber. As shown in F ig.'1'14, the valve 79,corresponding with thevalve 45", shown in Fig. 5. before described'rf Ofcourse, othei 'modifications of the arran ment of valves. may beeffected, if desire and obviously,f'numerous other minor modificationswill readily suggest themselves as to', the arrangement of valves andthe particular means for actuating. the valves, and I do not purposelimitin the patent granted on this application ot ierwise thannecessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a. device of the class described, a power cylinder, a power headrevoluble therein, fixed and rigidpistons diametrically o posite thefeonand fitting in the cylinder, diametrically opposite, disposed abutmentsin said cylinder, means for retracting said abutments with the approachof the power is ton and returning the same to position immediatelybehind said pistons, means for s ipplymgan explosive -charge for com)ression between one'of said abutments an one of snid'pisttinsga camactuated valve permitting a transfer oithe mixture to the other side ofsaidj abutment when compressed by the movement ofsaidpiston and anigniter in the transfer pass ng 2. In a deviceot he class described, apower cylinder, a power head revoluble passage 73, corresponding withtherein, fixed and rigid pistons diametrirally opposite thereon andfitting in the cylinder, diametrically op osite disposed abutmentsinsuid power cy inder, means for retracting said abutments with the aproach of the power piston and returning t e same to positionimmediately behind said pistons, menus for supplying an explosive chargefor compression between one of said nbutments and one of said pistons, acompression cylinder and piston auxiliary to said power pistons foraugmenting the compression of said charge when delivered thereto, a camac- Gopies of this patent may be obtsinod tor five cents each, by

wsshiniton, D. 0."

sddrossing the "Commissioner of ratonts,

